


Unconventional

by imaginary_golux



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Meetings, Fluff, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 11:21:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12456648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginary_golux/pseuds/imaginary_golux
Summary: This is a gift fic for tumblr user worth-three-portions, who prompted me with "convention/geek event." I did my best!Beta by my wonderful Best Beloved, Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw.





	Unconventional

**Author's Note:**

  * For [worth-three-portions](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=worth-three-portions).



A distressingly familiar drawl cuts through the noise of the crowd, and Finn turns his head, frowning - not that anyone can tell, with the helmet covering his face. He’s heard this particular group of gatekeeping assholes bothering half a dozen people already, but he’s never been near enough to do anything about it. This time, though, he’s pretty close.

“If you’re _going_ to be Princess Leia,” the ringleader sneers, “you shouldn’t have a lightsaber.”

“Leia _does_ have a lightsaber,” their current target retorts. “In the Expanded Universe, anyhow. She gets a green one in the Thrawn trilogy.”

Finn manages to squeeze through a gap in the crowd close enough to see the confrontation. The gatekeeping assholes are facing a young woman, about Finn’s own age, with her hair up in quite good cinnamon-roll buns and a green lightsaber in one hand. She’s wearing a flowy white dress and a very angry scowl.

Finn doesn’t want to make this an actual _fight_ \- that’s just going to end badly for everyone, and he doesn’t want to get kicked out of the con - but he also wants to do something to back up 'Leia'. So he shrugs to himself and steps forward with the bare bones of a rather ridiculous plan.

“Leia of Alderaan,” he says in his best Stormtrooper voice. “You are under arrest by order of the Emperor.”

'Leia' whirls around, lifting her lightsaber into a guard position - Finn guesses she probably does kendo or something similar, because she handles it like a real sword - and a little girl passing by squeaks, “Mommy, Mommy, look!”

“Can we take a picture of you?” the little girl’s mother asks, and 'Leia' glances over and nods, grinning. Finn nods, too, and squares off against 'Leia', who glowers at him fiercely.

“You’ll never take me alive!” she cries, and Finn glances to the side to see they’ve got several more people aiming phones and cameras at them. The little girl is doing a happy little jig. The asshole gatekeepers are moving away, glowering but not willing to make a scene in front of so many people who are all clearly on ‘Leia’s’ side.

Someone dressed as Han Solo, with a corgi in his arms wearing a Chewbacca costume - Finn stifles a chuckle behind his mask - steps out of the crowd. “Hey, Your Highness, is this nerfherder bothering you?” he asks 'Leia'.

'Leia' turns to glower at him, hands going to her hips, and then gives the dog a rather startled grin. “Chewie, tell this lunk to keep his big nose out of my business,” she snaps. The dog wags its tail; 'Han' runs his fingers over his nose with a look of deeply comic mock dismay. They’ve got several dozen people taking photos now. 'Han' and 'Leia' square off, silently pretending to have a dramatic argument. Finn turns to the audience and shrugs eloquently, earning a laugh.

After a few minutes, 'Han' and 'Leia' both turn to the audience, 'Han' bowing deeply and 'Leia' curtseying. Finn takes that for his cue and salutes. They get a smattering of applause, and the little girl runs forward and hugs 'Leia' around the legs before darting away again.

“I was a ways away when I overheard those assholes starting in on you,” 'Han' says to ‘Leia’. “Seemed like your Stormtrooper friend was doing pretty well, but I thought I’d jump in and help out too, hope you don’t mind?”

“No,” 'Leia' says, grinning. “My thanks to both of you, strangers.”

“We should move along before they come back,” Finn suggests diffidently, and ‘Leia’ nods, snatching up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. Finn and ‘Han’ fall in on either side of her.

“I dunno where you’re going, but I could use some fresh air,” ‘Leia’ says as they make their way slowly down the corridor.

“This little one probably wouldn’t mind being outside for a bit, either, if you don’t mind us tagging along,” ‘Han’ replies. “You coming, ‘trooper?”

“If you don’t mind,” Finn says.

“Are you supposed to be Luke?” ‘Leia’ asks curiously.

“No, just...just a generic Stormtrooper,” Finn admits. “I’m not usually comfortable in crowds, and it’s nice to be really anonymous for a while. There’s so many Stormtroopers here, I blend right in.”

“Makes sense,” ‘Han’ says approvingly. “Did you come up with a designation for your character?”

“FN-2187,” Finn says, shrugging. “My name’s Finn, by the way.”

“Rey,” ‘Leia’ says.

“Poe,” ‘Han’ chimes in. “And this ferocious little Wookiee is Beebee.”

“I _was_ going to point out that your sidekick appears to have...shrunk a bit, Mister Solo,” Rey says, holding out a hand to the corgi, who wags harder from its perch in Poe’s arms and licks her fingers.

“He took a hot shower,” Poe says, mock-solemnly. “Terrible how Wookiees shrink in the wash.”

“Dreadful,” Rey agrees, giggling. Finn grins.

They manage to get out the doors of the convention center and Poe, who apparently knows the area at least a little, leads the way down an alley between buildings that Finn would never have spotted to a little green space with a single enthusiastic pine tree and only a couple of exhausted con-goers. Poe puts the corgi down - it immediately bounds over to start sniffing the tree - and sits down on the grass. Rey pulls a blanket out of her bag, spreads it out, and collapses next to him. Finn hesitates a moment, then lifts his helmet off and sits beside her. “Ooh, that’s better. I need to find a way to air that thing out,” he says ruefully.

“Can the lining be cleaned?” Rey asks curiously, digging a handful of granola bars out of her bag and handing two to Finn and Poe.

“Yeah, but it takes forever to dry, so I didn’t clean it last night...which was apparently a mistake,” Finn sighs. “Oh well. Live and learn, I guess.”

“Make a second lining,” Poe suggests. “Then you can switch them out, let the wet one drip-dry.”

Rey nods vigorously, making approving humming noises through a mouthful of granola bar. It’s oddly endearing. Finn smiles at both of them.

“Good thought,” he agrees. “I’ll do that.”

“So,” Rey says, swallowing. “I said it before, but I mean it. Thanks for the assist, both of you. I was _this_ close to kneecapping the really snippy one, and that woulda got me thrown out of the con.”

“Also would have been very bad for your lightsaber,” Poe observes mock-solemnly.

“Who says I was gonna use the lightsaber?” Rey demands. “I have good thick soles on these boots.”

Finn winces. “Remind me not to piss you off, yeah?” he says dryly. Rey grins at him.

“Long as you don’t try to pull any of that sort of _crap_ they were spouting, we’re good,” she says. “But I don’t think we need to worry about that.” She flops down on her back on the blanket. “Whoo, these things are _exhausting_.”

“They really are,” Finn says. “But I got Harrison Ford’s autograph, so, y’know, worth it.”

“Oooh, let me see?” Rey asks, propping herself up on one elbow. Poe leans over eagerly. Finn pulls the square of cardstock out of one of his belt-pouches and displays it proudly.

“ _Nice,_ ” Poe says, quite sincerely. “I got Carrie Fisher’s, the last con she came to - got it at home, framed.”

“Oooh,” Finn says appreciatively, tucking the autograph away again.

“I ran into Mark Hamill at an airport when I was fifteen,” Rey says, grinning. “He signed the book I was reading, since I didn’t have any other paper. I’ve still got it.”

“We’ve got the whole set between us. Clearly we should get a joint display case for all three,” Poe says, and then slaps a hand over his mouth, going quite pink. Rey giggles, and Finn snorts an inelegant laugh.

“Moving a little fast, there,” Finn says mildly.

“We don’t even know your last name,” Rey adds, still giggling.

“It’s Dameron,” Poe says with immense dignity. “And _as_ I have just stuck my foot quite spectacularly in my mouth, may I buy you both dinner to make up for it? I know some very good restaurants close enough to walk to.”

Rey glances at Finn, who thinks about it for a moment and shrugs, grinning. “Sure,” he says. “Sounds good to me.”

“Indian or Thai,” Rey says decisively. “I want something spicy.”

“I can make that happen,” Poe says, standing gracefully and offering each of them a hand up, then gathering Beebee into his arms. “Shall we?”

“We shall,” Rey says, nodding firmly as she tucks her blanket back into her bag, and Finn falls into step between them, grinning, helmet tucked under one arm. Some instinct tells him that what he has found here, with these two near-strangers, is even more valuable than the autograph tucked so carefully away.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for a lovely prompt, worth-three-portions! I really hope you liked it!


End file.
